BACKGROUND AND AIMS: General anaesthetics are compounds that induce loss of responsiveness to environmental stimuli in animals and humans. The primary site of action of general anaesthetics is the nervous system, where anaesthetics inhibit neuronal transmission. Although plants do not have neurons, they generate electrical signals in response to biotic and abiotic stresses. Here, we investigated the effect of the general volatile anaesthetic diethyl ether on the ability to sense potential prey or herbivore attacks in the carnivorous plant Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula). METHODS: We monitored trap movement, electrical signalling, phytohormone accumulation and gene expression in response to the mechanical stimulation of trigger hairs and wounding under diethyl ether treatment. KEY RESULTS: Diethyl ether completely inhibited the generation of action potentials and trap closing reactions, which were easily and rapidly restored when the anaesthetic was removed. Diethyl ether also inhibited the later response: jasmonic acid (JA) accumulation and expression of JA-responsive genes (cysteine protease dionain and type I chitinase). However, external application of JA bypassed the inhibited action potentials and restored gene expression under diethyl ether anaesthesia, indicating that downstream reactions from JA are not inhibited. CONCLUSIONS: The Venus flytrap cannot sense prey or a herbivore attack under diethyl ether treatment caused by inhibited action potentials, and the JA signalling pathway as a consequence.

Comenius University Science Park Comenius University in Bratislava Ilkovičova Bratislava Slovakia

Department of Biophysics Centre of the Region Haná for Biotechnological and Agricultural Research Faculty of Science Palacký University Šlechtitelů Olomouc Czech Republic

Department of Plant Physiology Faculty of Natural Sciences Comenius University in Bratislava Ilkovičova 6 Mlynská dolina Bratislava Slovakia

IZMB University of Bonn Kirschallee 53115 Bonn Germany

Laboratory of Growth Regulators Faculty of Science Palacký University and Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences Šlechtitelů Olomouc Czech Republic

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